A new continent-scale study modeling brown bear habitat suitability from Portugal to central Russia finds that 37% of the region — 4.09 million km² — is currently occupied or potentially suitable for bears, more than three times prior estimates within the EU alone. But suitable habitat isn’t the same as a connected population: agricultural land and human development create significant barriers between northern and southern European bear populations, even where southern corridors show promise. The findings underscore that habitat modeling alone doesn’t resolve the harder questions of connectivity, land use, and coexistence — making the case for coordinated, transboundary conservation planning rather than isolated national efforts.
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